After the initial release of Fortnite and its Save the World mode, no one could have predicted how far and vast the storm would spread. When a standalone free-to-play Battle Royale mode released two months later, the game went from a reasonably successful co-op sandbox adventure to the hottest online game on the planet, with a most recent monthly player count of 78 million in September 2018. With the stratospheric rise of Fortnite Battle Royale, many fans have also been awaiting the launch of a similarly promised free-to-play offering for Save the World. Unfortunately, Fortnite fans will have to wait a little longer, as the team has confirmed that Save the World will not be free-to-play until 2019, due to further technical and performance work.
However, Epic Games hasn’t left fans of the original mode out in the cold. To thank old and new founders, any players who log in and play during the Fortnitemares event will receive both “Brainiac Jonesey” and “Skull Ranger Ramirez” as playable heroes for free. Additionally, those wanting to begin their Save the World journey now will be able to grab the Standard, Deluxe, Super Deluxe or Limited Founder Pack for 50% off.
Further to the above, Epic Games has also confirmed the new front end improvements and hero system they are working hard on, and details on the time-limited “Fortnitemares” event.
Front End Improvements
We’re reorganizing menu options to make them easier to find and converting some old UI tutorial quests to use a new callout system. Additionally, we’re adding polish and character(s) to the menus. At the end of this revamp we want to move more of your Fortnite experience into the game rather than in the front-end. We’ll release an in-depth look at all these incoming changes in the next few weeks, to prepare for the rollout in the next few months.
New Hero System
We’re excited to announce a brand new updated Hero System! This system has been redesigned to offer a more flexible approach to customizing your loadout with more options and room for creativity. You’ll have a total of six Hero slots to manage up from the previous three. First choosing a main Hero to command and up to five additional which will determine your perks and traits. We’re looking to expand the variety of load-outs you can create - putting the tools in your hands to make meaningful new decisions. We’ll put together a comprehensive blog to run you through the system when we finalize all the details.
Fortnitemares
The most ghoulish event of the year is back! Old Heroes are returning along with many new faces. You’ll head to Hexsylvania to revisit last year’s Vlad Moon Rising questline. If you played the event last year you may notice a few changes… and even more Vlad than before. New visitors to Hexsylvania will deliver some spooky world saving, as Ray and company confront history’s evil-est Vlad
